FOREWORD: This is an ongoing fanfic. To start reading from the beginning, click here.
Series: Final Fantasy VIII (8)
Pairing: Zell Dincht & Squall Leonhart
Status: ongoing
Rating: PG
Warnings: shounen-ai, light Rinoa bashing
Search keyword: ff8_floating
Notes: The end is abrupt, and the chapter is even shorter than the last. I apologize if the story seems to be drifting aimlessly. Anyway, Squall gets detention.
It was about noon and Zell figured he still had to attend the specialized SeeD training session that day. Ms. Glynn would most likely accept Squall's absence, given that the order was issued by the headmaster himself, but it didn't mean he didn't was excused.
After lunching on two hotdogs and a large cola, Zell hurried from the cafeteria to the quad. Without his training partner, Zell wasn't sure what he was going to do today.
But of course, Ms. Glynn had plans already. Before Zell even entered the quad, she was standing by the entrance and promptly greeted him sternly.
"I am fully aware of your partner's current duty," she began, "So for the time being, your temporary sparring partner during class will be the Galbadian transfer, Irvine Kinneas. Outside of class, you're still responsible for watching after Leonhart, understand?"
"Yes madam!" Zell couldn't help but grin. Selphie was going to throw a fit! And speaking of, was Selphie's partner showing up today? As soon as Ms. Glynn dismissed him, the blond headed into the quad and glanced around to look for the rest of his friends. Selphie was standing on the stairs near the waterfall, bouncing on her heels, but Rinoa was nowhere in sight. Irvine wasn't there yet either, so Zell decided to join Selphie until class began.
"Hey Selphie. You know if Rinoa's showing up?"
"Hey Zell! No, I don't think so, Ms. Glynn assigned me to Quistis as my temporary partner for the training for now," the usually bubbly girl stopped bouncing and gazed worriedly at the flowing water. "I wonder how she's dealing with this."
"Rinoa? What do you mean how she's doing? Seifer's the one who's hurt, she's just watching over him from what I can tell."
"Well yeah," she exhales, "I mean how she's taking this with Squall knowing now." The brunette pursed her lips into a frown.
"You knew about Rinoa and Seifer then.." Zell felt silent rage building within.
"Well duh!" the girl spun to face Zell. "Remember we were partners? Unlike most of you guys, we bonded and talked to each other! I tried to get Rin to 'fess up to Squall, but she didn't want to break it off with him until she was sure about Seifer." She paused in thought then continued. "I mean, that's just playing Squall, right? I told her that but she insisted that wasn't the case. Well I don't know."
"Why didn't you say something? You know how much this hurt Squall because nobody told him?"
"It wasn't my place to," Selphie looked down and tapped her shoe at the edge of the stairs. "Rin made me promise to keep this to myself, a promise between us girls you know," she sighed and looked up at Zell earnestly. "How is Squall?" she asked, fear seeping in her quiet voice.
"He's okay. He's on detention for a week though," the martial artist chuckled and shadowboxed the other way. "He's a fighter like the rest of us. He'll find some way to get through to Rinoa."
"I'm glad!" Selphie returned to her normal self and jumped up and down gleefully. "But hey, if he's on detention, who's your partner for now?"
Fangs baring, Zell grinned widely. "Irvy-chan!" He mimicked the hyper girl's shrill call at the cowboy, who happened to walk in at that moment, and darted off laughing.
"Hey that's not fair!" She stomped and chased after Zell throughout the quad.
Irvine Kinneas' ears perked up to his name being called so affectionately by the blonde. "Zell, my darling!" he exclaimed, seeing Selphie tailing the blonde running towards him.
Upon contact, Irvine spun Zell around in his arms, whose sneakers were off the ground and curled behind as Selphie would. When the bouncy ninja finally caught up with them, she bent over in exhaustion and stuck out her tongue.
"Oh Selphie sweetness, did I not tell you about Zell and me?" he grinned mischieviously, setting Zell down on his feet but still holding him close.
"Well," she straightened up and suddenly snatched the cowboy's hat with a jump. "Guess you won't be needing this back!" she taunted with a silly smile.
Zell doubled over in laughter when Selphie led Irvine in a short chase which ended up in a light tickling and kissing session at the foot of the stairs. Sighing afterwards, he looked on in wonder if he would ever have a chance at that kind of happiness. Dream on Zell, he told himself - Squall's still in love with Rinoa, remember? Oh yeah and let's not forget he's not into guys.
Then Ms. Glynn whistled and everybody gathered for the day's training session to begin. Everybody was looking forward to this; they could all work off the previous night's stress.
----
Class was extremely long, and Squall wondered if the class was normally this quiet. No, couldn't be, Cid said he was assigned to a rowdy, out-of-line class. Didn't seem like the class he was looking after though. Didn't matter anyway, he was paying for his actions yesterday, although this hardly seemed like punishment. He didn't have to deal with extraneous training sessions for a week - he loved sitting in silence - and that meant he had lots of time to think. Oh. So that was Cid's intention. Squall rubbed his forehead and sighed silently.
Yes, attacking Seifer was wrong; yes casting Death on him then beating him senseless while junctioned was wrong, but who wouldn't considering Seifer was kissing your girlfriend in front of you? Seifer, of all people, who should not take his readmission to Garden and even quick promotion to SeeD for granted, was the last person Squall would want to lose Rinoa to. That bastard deserved to be destroyed for helping out Ultimecia on his own free will, for pulling the world into jeopardy. And yet once the war was over, Cid decides to forgive him and give him a second chance at becoming a SeeD? Not that he shouldn't deserve a second chance, but being a SeeD meant fighting against the sorceress, and could Seifer be entrusted to that task when he once willingly fought for a diabolical sorceress? Squall sure didn't trust him.
FOREWORD: This is an ongoing fanfic. To start reading from the beginning, click here.
Series: Final Fantasy VIII (8)
Pairing: Zell Dincht & Squall Leonhart
Status: ongoing
Rating: PG
Warnings: shounen-ai, light Rinoa bashing
Search keyword: ff8_floating
Notes: Short chapter, they're getting progressively shorter I swear. Sigh.
Zell waited at the elevator on the second floor, shuffling his feet and gazing over the railing of the bridge. King was playing cards with a challenger a few feet away from him, and the blonde chuckled to himself when he glanced over and saw a Squall card in King's deck. He himself didn't even have a Squall card, and for a moment he pondered challenging King to win the card from him, but games were for later. Right now, he needed to make sure the real Squall was okay.
It seemed like an eternity passed before Squall stepped out of the elevator. Zell jumped forward at the gunblade specialist and inquired rapidly, "What happened? What did they do to you?"
"Nothing. Cid talked my ear off," his face showed signs of weariness, but nothing out of the ordinary. "And detention." He rubbed the scar on his forehead with a gloved hand absently. Apparently Squall had returned to his room earlier and changed back into his usual black leather and fur-lined jacket attire.
"Oh okay, so you know Seifer's okay too. What detention did they assign you to?" The hyperactive boy bounced alongside Squall as he strolled off towards Quistis' old classroom.
"Watching the rowdy class 3-D for a week. Cid figured after what happened they'll be scared quiet while their instructor's out sick."
"Who's their instructor?"
"Xu."
Zell laughed and shadow boxed ahead of the brunette before they reached the classroom.
Squall watched his friend troubledly as they entered. Although the martial artist had an amazing ability for keeping his energy levels up, it was obvious he was compensating for something, and in this case, probably for something rather weighty.
As Cid had predicted, the rowdy class fell silent and any rebellion factor was nullified as soon as Squall the "Lionheart" stepped into the room. Zell was not at all surprised at the power Squall held over classmen at any level, he was his commander for a very good reason. The boy shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the front desk as Squall walked behind it to the board and scripted his name across.
"I'm Squall Leonhart, level A SeeD, and I'm in charge here for a week while Instructor Xu is unavailable. Lesson plans are in your student folders in the network. Use your class period to work," Squall commanded in his steady low tone.
And the class followed suit, quietly shuffling their papers and working on their desk computers.
Zell shook his head silently at the class and sat down at the edge of the desk. There was no disobeying Squall, nobody dared, himself included. A tap on his shoulder startled him, and Zell stood up promptly when he saw the brunette gesturing him towards the door.
Once outside, Squall just stood silently and stared off into space.
"Uh, Squall, you're supposed to be watching the class. Detention, remember?" Zell leaned against the wall with his hands still in his pockets.
"Whatever," he replied without changing his focus. "You know about Seifer, so did you see Rinoa at the infirmary?"
"Yeah I did," the blonde shuffled his boots, suddenly aware of how uncomfortable they were and wished he were wearing his usual running shoes.
"Did she say anything... about me?" Squall whispered quietly.
"She's not sure herself either, I think you two need to talk it out."
"Is she angry with me...?"
"She's afraid you're mad at her too. Look, I can talk to her all you want, but that's not going to do anything. You need to talk to her yourself. Tell her how you feel, remember what we talked about last night?" Zell stared down at the tips of his boots.
"I will. Hey Zell..."
"Yeah?" he looked up.
A swift hug from the iceberg and a bypassing word, "Thanks," as Squall slipped back into the classroom.
Zell stood there motionless, mouth slightly ajar and eyes staring dead ahead. Squall just hugged him, that meant the world was going to end. The marial artist remained plastered against the wall for a few minutes before he could recover and head back to his dorm. His mind was a mess, within the last few days, so much had went wrong and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it except stay alert.
FOREWORD: This is an ongoing fanfic. To start reading from the beginning, click here.
Series: Final Fantasy VIII (8)
Pairing: Zell Dincht & Squall Leonhart
Status: ongoing
Rating: PG
Warnings: shounen-ai, light Rinoa bashing
Search keyword: ff8_floating
Notes: In this chapter, you will see some OBVIOUS Rinoa bashing, so please be warned. :P Anyway, the morning after...
Sometime between Squall falling asleep and morning, Zell dozed off with his head tilted to the side. When he woke up, he found his neck in a massively cramping position and a comforter covering him from his shoulders down. And Squall was missing.
"SHIT!" Zell sprung to his feet, the comforter falling off and he gasped in agony as he snapped his neck upright. The blonde ran to and fro the room and dashed to the bathroom, searching high and low, but his commander was nowhere to be found. Quickly swiping his gloves Ehrgiez and the keycard off his dresser, Zell didn't even bother changing before running out of his room in his oxford and suit pants from the night before.
"Have you seen Squall?"
The students he passed shook their heads apologetically.
"For Hyne's sake, has ANYBODY seen Squall???" The martial artist had been flying in and out of every branch of the Garden, but still no Squall. Then suddenly an icy knot formed in his gut. The infirmary.
"Dr. Kadowski! Have you seen Squall?" Zell burst into the infirmary slightly out of breath.
"Shhh," an older lady in a lab coat and spectacles stepped out of the patient area and drew a curtain behind her. "Yes I have dear."
"Oh shit, how is Seifer???"
"He's resting now, but otherwise, he's fine. So keep your voice down."
"Oh okay, thank Hyne..." he sighed a breath of relief. "Do you know where Squall is now?"
"He's probably in the Headmaster's office right now. There was an announcement for him soon after he left, didn't even stay long. Took off in a hurry."
"Headmaster's office, right? Thanks a lot Doc," and the teen turned to leave.
"Hi Zell," said another female voice from behind.
So that's why Squall took off in a hurry. Zell turned back to face his greeter. "Rinoa, what are you doing here?"
The girl apparently hadn't caught much sleep either, as her eyes were puffy and she was still wearing her torn dress from the dance. Zell would have felt sorry for her, being his friend and all, if the circumstances were normal.
"Would you mind stepping outside for a minute?" she inquired softly.
"Yeah sure.." and Zell lead the way outside to the hallway.
For a few minutes, the two stood in silence. Zell leaned against a pole and stared off at the plants surrounding the walkway, and Rinoa sat down next to him on the white stone railing. After the area was cleared, Rinoa spoke up.
"I'm scared, Zell, more than I've ever been in my life. My boyfriend broke out in rage and nearly killed Seifer. I don't know what's going on anymore."
Zell stared out in silence, what was he supposed to say to that?
"How is Squall? I heard you were watching him last night after the party. Did he say anything about me? Because he ran off when he saw me earlier."
"He's okay, Doc said he's in Cid's office, and since it seems like Seifer's not dead, he'll be fine," even though Zell said that, he wasn't quite sure himself. "But he's confused, Rin. He still loves you, but he needs time." Time would be an understatement, Zell snorted inwardly.
"Really... I like him a lot too, it's not like I like him any less than I used to, but he just can't commit!" She sniffled and the blonde fished for a handkerchief from his breast pocket and handed it to her. "Things were going great between us, but nothing's progressing. We've been at the same stage since.. well since we defeated Ultimecia! I met Seifer a long time ago, but he wasn't like this now. So when I met him again a while ago, we clicked. It worked, and unlike somebody, he isn't afraid of showing me how he feels!" The girl blew her nose into the handkerchief.
"What are you trying to tell me, you like Seifer now? You're just going to give up on Squall because of Seifer?"
"I don't know!" Rinoa whined. "I don't know what to do! I mean I like Squall and all, being with him makes me feel important. I just wish he'd commit to me and open up. It's much better than when I first met him, I have to admit, but it hasn't gotten any better since."
"Commit to you? What more do you want? You want him to commit yet you're going off with Seifer? At least he doesn't wander off and look at other girls!"
"That's not the point! He's not giving me what I need!"
"What do you need from him then?"
"He needs to return my feelings!"
"Last I heard he does. You're his girlfriend, you should understand how he is."
"I do understand him, but he doesn't understand me," she whimpered.
"Understand that you're cheating on him with Seifer?"
"Why do you care about my being with Seifer anyway?"
"Because Squall's my friend and I care about him. Don't you see that what you did hurt him?"
"I tried not to let him find out! I was hoping over time he'd be able to commit and everything would work out fine."
"Don't you know that's called cheating?"
"It's not cheating! He's not there for me all the way, why should I have to put up with it? I have my own needs!"
"And so does he!" Zell's tolerance was nearly spent, and he realized his voice had escalated harshly.
"Why are you defending him? He's the one who went crazy last night and nearly killed Seifer," she started bawling.
The blonde lowered his voice with much effort. "You were making out with another guy in public, I don't know what you expected to happen."
"I didn't want to hurt him."
"But you did," Zell sighed. "Tell me, Rinoa, do you love Squall?"
"Of course I do, but I'm not so sure if he does."
"He loves you," Zell bit back his tears. "He told me last night, and even after this, he still loves you. But he's confused. Talk to him, please? He needs to hear it from you too."
"I don't know if I can talk to him anymore," Rinoa looked off as a breeze caught her hair.
"Why?"
"After what he did. I can't believe he intentionally hurt Seifer."
Zell threw his arms up in exasperation. "Seriously, did you think Squall was going to just let you go without a fight?"
"But he didn't have to hurt Seifer!"
"Yeah he didn't have to hurt him, but he did and it's not exactly the right thing to do, but what would you have him do? How would you feel if you were in his position?"
Rinoa narrowed her eyes and pouted. "Squall going out with Seifer?"
The martial artist rolled his eyes; he couldn't believe this was the same girl his Squall was in love with, er, Squall. "Not exactly, but a similar situation."
She thought about it for a few seconds, then shook her head indignantly. "That's not the point here, he was totally out of line!"
"And you weren't?"
"Why are you turning this against me?" Rinoa whined angrily. "Why are you on his side?"
"Because I'm his friend! And you're his girlfriend, don't you think you're acting out of line yourself?"
"No," was her solid answer.
Zell shook his head and stood to face the girl. "Answer me, do you care about Squall?"
"Of course I do!" she pouted.
The boy put his hands on her shoulders and talked straight to her face. "Then talk to him. He still loves you, and I know you do too, right? Don't let him hurt like this. Sort things out with him, and don't let Seifer ruin things between the two of you." When he finished, he let go of her and took a step back.
"All right. I'll try. I'm afraid he's mad at me though.." she looked down and chewed her lip in thought.
"Are you still going to stay with Seifer?"
"Yeah."
Zell stared blankly.
"Until Squall decides to open up to me."
By this point, Zell was ready to give up. Nothing he could say would get through to her anyway.
"But I'll talk to him. Thanks, Zell," and with that, she walked around him and back into the infirmary.
The martial artist walked up to the pole and punched it a few times, his Ehrgiez leaving a few dents in the cement. He didn't know why he felt so obligated to help out Rinoa even when she was obviously at fault here. Perhaps because Squall is still in love with her and he felt obligated to look out for his friend's best interests, which happened to be clearing up things with Rinoa. Despite his own sentiments, Zell tortured himself to great extents to make sure he was doing everything he could for Squall. Why? Because he loves Squall as much as Squall loves Rinoa, or perhaps even more.
Zell leaned his forehead into the pole and cleared his mind. "So, Headmaster's office eh. Seifer's fine so he'll probably get his head chewed off and get detention. At least I know where he is now." And he dashed off towards the center of Garden.
FOREWORD: This is an ongoing fanfic. To start reading from the beginning, click here.
Series: Final Fantasy VIII (8)
Pairing: Zell Dincht & Squall Leonhart
Status: ongoing
Rating: PG
Warnings: shounen-ai, light Rinoa bashing
Search keyword: ff8_floating
Notes: ANGST alert!! I don't enjoy writing so much angst, but the occasion called for it. Zell watches over Squall after the party.
Darkness.
The utterly silent darkness enveloped him.
The stilled martial artist might as well be doing Zen meditation, and perhaps it would've been a good suggestion for the boy. But no, it wasn't a good suggestion. He had in fact taken Zen meditation before. It just.. hadn't work out for the hyperactive, quick-tempered teenager. Although now, Zell could have seemed like he was an expert in it.
Unconscious still, Squall lay on top of the comforter in front of Zell. Sitting in the armchair in his chilly room, Zell just waited for the moment the silence would break, only this time it wouldn't be by him. He awaited the sudden explosion that would wreak havoc on his room. Ms. Glynn and Quistis had ordered him to take Squall back to his room but, his door was locked and there was no key on Squall, so Zell had nowhere else to go but his own room. Zell immediately cast curaga on Squall upon arrival, but the figure still did not budge. All fault concerning Seifer, Rinoa, or himself had faded. The sleeping lion was unconscious for too long a time, and Zell was beginning to worry if sleep was all that had been cast on him. He braced for the moment of silence to be broken, like shards of glass to attack him.
But it refused to come.
Only still, calm air resided with his thoughts.
Then it started to rain. No, it started to pour outside the window, and Zell rose to his feet to go draw the curtains halfway. It was too late to say the magical evening had broken, it had been broken many hours ago. What time was it now? He checked the small self-illuminated clock on his bedstand. 1:09 it read. And that sleep spell had been effective for over six hours.
The solemn blonde found himself swaggering towards the armchair again. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness just fine, but he couldn't make out any colors. His room was washed with all the darker shades of grey, even Squall, who laid there like another piece of furniture. The slit of moonlight from the window illuminated the satin accents of the tuxedo he was wearing, just barely. Zell longed to see that fur-lined bomber jacket of Squall's right now, wanting to believe that they were on another mission and he was just awake, as usual, watching his sleeping companion in secret. With Squall there, sleep has always been the last thing on his mind, and right now, sleep was definitely not even remotely a possibility.
The situation was far different from any mission they'd ever been on. Nothing was more dangerous than what just occurred, not even comparable to when Rinoa would slip into her Angel Wing limit break and berserk herself into casting amplified offensive magic onto her own teammates. His usual smarts had failed him in the most critical of situations - right then when his friend most depended on it. Zell recalled the sequence of events again and again in his head, back to how he found Squall in fury and Seifer nearly dead. Right before that, when his ass collided with the cold marble floor, and right before that, how he and Squall were slowly dancing, so closely that he could still feel the hot breath grazing his ear. He must have been dreaming, simply because of how Squall reacted immediately after seeing Seifer and Rinoa lock lips. If Squall had been really been dancing with him the way he remembered it, then Zell would conclude that all laws of logic were deceiving.
"Zell.."
He had been so immersed in contemplation that he did not notice that Squall's eyes were open, and staring at him although he was still lying on the bed.
"Squall you're awake! How are you feeling? Are you okay? You've been out cold for over six hours."
"Speak slower, and keep your voice down," his commanding officer spoke softly, and his eyes closed again.
"Open your eyes, do you remember what happened?" He lowered his voice but he could not keep his mouth from running off.
"Yeah I do," and with that, the brunette sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes like an awakened hibernating beast. "Where are we.. and why is it so dark in here."
"Oh sorry, you were sleeping so I didn't want the lights to disturb you, I'll go turn them on now," Zell turned towards the light switch by the door.
"It's okay, Zell. Sit down."
"Okay," he meeped and sat back down in the armchair. "Uh Squall, aren't you still angry? Because if you are you can tell me. Just don't go running off to the infirmary because I'll have to stop you. Talk to me will you? Please? Are you okay?"
"Of course I'm angry," Squall snapped, then sighed heavily. "Of course I'm angry," he repeated, this time his tone softer, "because I saw it coming and I wasn't aware of the situation."
Zell realized this was the most Squall had ever said at one time. He breathed and waited for him to continue.
"Heh," he breathed, "I ruined the evening didn't I.. and I was the one who told you to not make a commotion." He turned his hands over and over again in his lap. "You had to be the one to tell me to calm down, too." He dropped his hands to his sides. "I'm... sorry."
"Sorry??? What for? Why are you even sorry? You have no reason to be sorry, after what happened, I'm the one who's really sorry. Squall, I knew Seifer was going to do something like this, and I didn't tell you. I'm sorry baby, I couldn't tell you. I was afraid you wouldn't believe me because Rinoa's involved, she's such a sweet girl. I think she's a sweet girl anyway, although I'm not sure what happened tonight. Oh hyne, I'm so sorry Squall. I should have said something and maybe none of this would have happened."
"You're rambling Zell. And no, I do have a reason to be sorry. I knew about this, actually, but I went along with it anyway."
Zell was caught by surprise. Squall knew? "You did? But, how?" He knew Seifer wouldn't have leaked the word out, and Rinoa, well, she's his girlfriend!
Squall swung his legs to the side of the bed towards Zell and looked at his friend's face, whose worry lines were even visible in the dark. "Rinoa's been.. wanting more.. lately. I.. I fell in love with her, Zell. But she wanted even more than that."
His heart sunk. He always knew Squall was in love with Rinoa, so why so glum now? Guess he just didn't want to actually hear those words coming straight from Squall's mouth and into his own ears.
"And I'm not ready for that. Holding her hand, hugging her, and even kissing her were fine," Squall started to cringe. "She wanted me to propose to her because she has all these ideas for her perfect wedding and honeymoon she wanted to carry out before she got any older, as she says. I'm not disagreeing with her, but she wants it soon. She's been getting more insistent about her ideas lately, and because I keep telling her to wait a little longer, she's been..." and his eyes started to cloud. The lion's face fell, and he felt hot tears soak through his pants. It had been a long time since such bitter, burning tears had fallen from his eyes. A cool finger touched his chin, and Squall blinked to see a crouched figure in front of his knees, touching his face as if it were made of porcelain.
The darkness could not conceal the look of absolute loving concern on the boy's face for his best friend. Zell gazed up into Squall's shadowed face and his lips parted to speak. "It's all right," was all that was said.
He turned away. Not because he wanted to shun Zell away, but because he couldn't face him like that. Those eyes that inquired and soothed so much he didn't deserve it. He had just attempted to kill Seifer out there, and hyne only knows if Seifer was still alive. Anyone who attempts to murder someone else purely with selfish intentions didn't deserve to be cared about. "She's been threatening to break up," he continued. "At first she joked about it, but then she got more serious about it over time. Said even Seifer was better than me. No really, that wasn't an insult, but she knew how I'd take it to heart, hoping it'd convince me otherwise. But I wasn't ready Zell, and now, I'm glad I didn't give in." He paused and stared at the wall he was facing. "I should have seen it coming... I just didn't want to believe it. I'm still in love with her."
The hand turned his chin back to the worried boy at his knees. "It's not your fault. Squall, look at me."
"I love her, Zell. I love her so much, but how could she do this to me..." he squeezed his eyes shut, tears flowing freely down his face like streams of molten lava.
Zell reached up and smudged the tears with his other hand. "I know you do. Listen, it's not your fault, believe me. Rinoa wanted to rush this relationship forward too much. I'm not saying it's her fault either, but don't blame yourself or anything. You love her, right? If you love her like I love you, you won't give up. Listen to me, when things get cleared up, you'll go talk to her and tell her how you feel, straight out, okay? And if she loves you, which I know she does, she'll listen to you. Do you hear me?" He always spoke before he thought, now all he could do in that split second was hope Squall didn't hear every single word.
"I blew up. Rinoa and Seifer were kissing and I saw it. You saw it too, you were trying to warn me out there, and I didn't want to think about it. What if Seifer's dead? They'll sentence me to jail or something, and Rinoa will hate me forever. She'll never want to see me again."
"You and I both know Mrs. Kadowski does wonders when it comes to that. You were slashed in the forehead by that bastard way back then, remember? But look where you are now," he paused at wiping the tears and traced the scar down Squall's face, that... "You're beautiful, did anyone ever tell you that?"
He really should watch where his mouth runs off to, maybe he was tired afterall.
"Rinoa's never said that before. I always tell her how beautiful she is, though. I just took her giggle as her way of reciprocation," he sighed sadly. "I don't think she loves me anymore. I thought going to the dance together would respark the magic in her eyes, but it didn't happen. Instead, my worst fears came true."
"Do you honestly think she could stop loving you and go after Seifer that quickly?"
"Yes."
Zell froze. Squall's voice was hard and determined, edging to break again. The blonde gathered Squall's hands into his, rekindling the warmth that he was losing rapidly to the heavy atmosphere and kissed them softly. "I can only offer you this," he murmured into his hands, kissing them again. This was not the time for him to break; Squall needed him to be firm, and by hyne, he won't fail him.
"Thank you." The voice that spoke those two little words sounded like all the burden he had been holding was now taken up by the gentle hands beneath his, and weariness overcame the brunette again.
Zell detached himself from the hands he longed to hold forever, but as he knew he couldn't, he stood up and ushered Squall down on the bed again. He pulled the comforter from under and tucked Squall in. "We'll talk more in the morning. Sleep now," he whispered into Squall's ear, who looked more like a tired kitty than a lion.
Not another word was exchanged. Zell sat down in the armchair again and gazed intently at his sleeping lion, guarding its slumber.
FOREWORD: This is an ongoing fanfic. To start reading from the beginning, click here.
Series: Final Fantasy VIII (8)
Pairing: Zell Dincht & Squall Leonhart
Status: ongoing
Rating: PG
Warnings: shounen-ai, light Rinoa bashing
Search keyword: ff8_floating
Notes: Seifer plots, Zell tries, Squall explodes. Now read. :P
Fujin and Raijin were still sitting at the table, looking up apologetically at Seifer approaching but relieved as Zell was captured in his stiff embrace. Rinoa stopped short of the table and waited for Squall to pull a chair out for her, who hesitated momentarily before ushering his girlfriend into two chairs left of Raijin and taking the seat in between them. Seifer, on the other hand, practically forced Zell to sit down in his previous chair and sat down between him and Rinoa. Zell tried to behave, really he did, but in his gut he was building a fire ready to knock the daylights out of that manipulative man.
Wishing for some water to calm his spirits, the blond boy fixed his posture as he retrieved a glass from the rotating centerpiece. It looked like it was made of thin pieces of stained glass arranged into a rose window shape, adorned with a rising Shiva sculpture in the middle, reaching skyward for summoning magic. Every other table had different GF figures as centerpieces, and their prospective decorations and color schemes matched the GF's powers. In this fancy and elegant atmosphere, Zell felt more uncomfortable than ever, knowing Seifer's intentions to disturb the evening. At the same time, he couldn't help but admire the way Squall looked tonight. He hadn't had the time earlier to see clearly what Squall looked like. His jet-black tux was made of satin, open, which seemed to catch bits of blue light reflected from the table's rotating piece. The pleated shirt he wore underneath was an impecable white, topped with a shiny yet simple black bowtie snug around his neck. His hair was parted a little to the right of the middle, combed neatly yet still had that slightly ruffled look as a few dark brown bangs shadowed his left eye, seeming to embrace the way his scar ran across the bridge of his nose. The scar that Seifer gave him. And his cold grey eyes, staring deep into his soul.
Oh shoot. Zell realized he had been staring too long and had Squall's inquiring eyes staring straight back at his own icy blue eyes. He diverted his eyes and looked at Rinoa, who was giggling with a light-hearted smile pursing her lips.
"Oh Zell, Seifer tells me you liked that girl at the library! I'm sorry she had to leave, but looks like you've been busy anyway, huh?" She winked and elbowed Seifer with a laugh, who also returned the laugh and reached over Zell's shoulders into a tight hold.
That bastard.. Zell grimaced at the two. Seifer was always up to no good, but lying like this wasn't acceptable. He threw Seifer's arm off rashly and tried to keep his voice from shouting too loud. "Not with *him* that's for sure." Whoops, he shouted too loudly and some of the people near them on the dance floor looked over inquiringly.
"Calm down Zell, this party is for us. Don't make a commotion," Squall's voice was low and smooth, still in his usual commanding tone that always quieted the boy. Rinoa turned to the crowd and waved with an apologetic smile to assure them everything was fine.
"Yeah Zellie, you don't have to be shy," he laughed, the sneer never once left his face. "For that I won't dance with you."
"Like I care," was the reply. Zell was fed up with this act.
Zellie? Squall flinched. Now he knew Seifer was acting weird, and his always strong friend looked like a helpless, angered chocobo. He wanted to reach out and soothe Zell and ask him why he was forced to come to the dance with Seifer of all people. Maybe it was his fault that he didn't bother to help Zell look for a date and just demanded that he showed up. He did seem less talkative today, but Squall just took the rare silence for granted.
"Rin, will you give me the pleasure of dancing with me? My date needs some time to himself. Of course, if your date doesn't mind, that is."
"No he doesn't mind at all, do you Squallie?" Rinoa chirped and rose as Seifer helped her out. "We'll be back when they serve dinner! Wait for me Squall," she leaned down and gave him a peck on the cheek and allowed herself to be led by the hand.
Squall frowned. He *did* mind, and his girlfriend didn't even give him a chance to speak. He shook his head, but it gave him some time to check on his partner at least. "Are you all right?" he said, sliding two seats over and next to Zell, so that Raijin and Fujin wouldn't overhear them talking.
Zell heaved, then suddenly was alerted that Seifer just took Rinoa out onto the dance floor. But Squall was next to him, and looked concerned. Squall was concerned about him? "Uh.. yeah I guess.." he flashed a quick smile then stood straight up. "Hey we need to uh.. uh.." Fujin glared at him, and Raijin leaned on the table in a threatening manner. "Do you want to uh, dance? Would you?" he rubbed the back of his head nervously. This was the only way he could get to talk to Squall without Seifer's guarddogs glaring over his shoulder, but boy was it embarrassing.
Well that wasn't expected. Zell recovered in a flash and made the odd request of dancing with him. The music was still festive so the gunblade specialist decided there was no harm in jamming on the dance floor with his best friend. "Sure. Why not," he responded, getting up and made space for Zell to get out as well.
That was a relief! His palms were suddenly sweaty, but he acted normally and punched a "Booya!" (which was inappropriate for the suit he was wearing but heck) before he made his way away from the table, with Squall following close behind. Raijin opened his mouth to speak but Fujin held him down, knowing that if they said anything suspicious, especially when it came to her blabbering brother, Squall would figure out what was going on.
The two boys got to the dance floor and made their way up front where the music was live and even louder. Zell bounced around like his normal self, and Squall, surprisingly, seemed to follow his steps, adding his own touch to the moves. Irvine and Selphie on stage spotted the two and nodded with wide grins, and as if their presence encouraged them even more, they picked up the pace like wildfire, the volume equally proportional. The party sure seemed more like a rave than a ballroom dance with those two on lead vocal and guitar, but Zell didn't mind. The rhythm of it all soothed his spirits and he found himself more relaxed, even when dancing with their leader the professional iceberg.
The martial artist raved and skipped to the beat, moving closer and closer to Squall so that he could be heard despite the music. "Seifer's up to no good, I don't know if Rinoa's got anything to do with it, but Seifer's got some plan to take her away from you," he shouted and looked side to side, still in sync with his movements, making sure Seifer and Rinoa weren't nearby.
"What?" Squall heard him, but he wasn't sure what Zell was rambling about. Take Rinoa away from him? Seifer had always been a rat, but what Zell said seemed highly unlikely. That kind of plan wouldn't work out unless Seifer was planning on kidnapping his girlfriend, and he wouldn't have the nerve to do such a thing. Not after the whole battle with Ultimecia. Seifer was lucky to be even admitted back into Garden. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I know, but Seifer's gonna do something bad I'm telling you baby. I know it, be careful, trust me," his eyes pleaded and he moved closer, half-timing his moves so he could speak to Squall closer without crashing into him or anything. Squall just stared back, his dancing slowed to match Zell's. He never realized how deep those blue eyes were up close.
On stage, Irvine saw the two look into each other's eyes intensely, and as shocked as he was at the moment, he figured maybe they should play something else. He nodded over at Selphie who smiled at her favourite SeeD in all of Garden, and she signaled a different pulse to the band, who transitioned the rhythm into a slower pace.
Suddenly, Selphie and Co. were playing a ballad. The crowd on the dance floor took the opportunity to rest their dancing feet and linked arms with their partners. Slow dance. It totally caught Zell offguard, who panicked and looked up at Selphie with bewildered eyes. The peppy girl took the look as something positively cute, so she waved back and gave him a big encouraging smile, much to Zell's dismay. He had to get off the dance floor now. They couldn't talk now, everybody would hear, and he certainly wasn't going to slow dance with Squall!
Right when Zell was about to dart off, a warm hand gripped his wrist and pulled him into a loose embrace. The martial artist was seldom caught offguard like just now, especially when he looked and saw his captor. Almost terrified he'd see Seifer grinning predatorily down at him, he tensed up for a fight, only to see their leader gaze into his eyes. His leader.
"You wanted to dance, now you're leaving?"
Zell couldn't believe his ears. Or his eyes, or his head. Or his heart. The tension melted from his face and he felt the temperature crank up by ten degrees. Squall wasn't smiling, but his hold was gentle, and Zell's legs started to go woozy. If that wasn't surreal then Zell had three heads. The professional iceberg was warm, who would've imagined? The blonde stuttered, "Uhhh.. I.. wasn't.. I'm not."
"Don't talk, just dance, " and with that Squall led Zell in their steps. They had learned how to dance very well as part of their SeeD training, but Zell never imagined that of all people in the world, he would have the opportunity to dance with his friend like this. The usually hyperactive one nodded into Squall's shoulder and stared over it. He didn't dare look into his eyes when they were this close - Zell might just lose control.
Even though his eyes weren't focused, Squall still gazed into their icy depths. It was funny, how someone with so much spontaneous energy had such intense blue eyes that sparkled but were essentially icy, although not frigid. Just like crystal ice in an endless ocean of blue. The brunette didn't know why he was thinking such things, but dancing with Zell felt so strange that it felt.. Right. Like he could drown in his eyes at any moment, and it would be all right. Because it was Zell.
Since the bouncing attendees on the dance floor had slowed down into a swaying swarm of heads, Zell was able to make out Seifer and Rinoa's faces in the crowd. They were not only holding each other tightly, but their arms were intwined and their lips touching. They had some nerve to be out there making out on the dance floor! Zell felt his anger rage again, this time towards Rinoa as well, but felt arms reach around his waist and pull him in. He was so mad he must be losing his mind!
"Look Squall, I hate to be the one to break this to you but look.."
"Shh," he held Zell tighter. Strange how numb his mind felt.
"Seifer and Rinoa... No Squall, stop. Look." I really don't want to end this, really Squall, I don't. But I can't let this happen to you. Zell made up his mind, and gripped Squall firmly for the first time since they started dancing and whirled him around. "Look."
What Squall saw was not what he expected. He knew Seifer and Rinoa were out dancing, but *this* was too much. Forgetting about Zell in his arms, Squall's arms flew up and he shoved Zell away, pushing through the crowd towards his girlfriend and that BASTARD.
Being pushed away hurt more internally than his ass skidding on the waxed tile floor until his back slammed into the bottom of the stage. Irvine saw his friends part and stopped playing, jumping offstage to help Zell to his feet.
"Hey what's going on?" Irvine asked worriedly of the martial artist.
"Seifer," Zell snarled, then looked into the cowboy's eyes. "Squall saw Rinoa and Seifer locking lips, we gotta do something about Squall. C'mon!" He waved and ran off down the pathway Squall had cleared in his wake.
Too late. The music stopped completely, and Selphie bounded off the stage after Irvine, who was tailing Zell. Ahead, a large noise mimicking an explosion sounded, and screams and shouts were heard from guests fleeing in all directions of the doors and balcony. On reaching the commotion, some SeeDs had gathered and remained fixed.
"Shit Squall what the hell! Oh hyne, Seifer!! Stop it Squall!!" Rinoa's high pitched screams were in vain, and what sounded like a one-man beating had a few SeeDs up front, including Nida, trying to stop the fighting.
Zell pushed his way through the SeeDs and his eyes widened. In front of him was a badly bloodied up Seifer, who was being cradled in the arms of a frantic Rinoa sitting on the floor. Her sequin dress had a huge tear from the bottom up to the thigh, and blood was splattered on the gold. Squall was half-standing, half-kneeling, face contorted in rage, and there were three SeeDs and Nida holding the thrashing Squall as tightly as they could. Nobody could figure out why Squall was ungodly strong then, but from the looks of Seifer on the floor, Squall had probably cast something on him rather than being able to beat him up like that. Oh hyne. Squall must still have Diablos junctioned.
"Someone! Unjunction him! Shit is that even possible?" It wasn't that Zell was concerned about Seifer or Rinoa, but he was worried Squall would go insane if he kept this up and allowed the guardian forces to consume him like this. His knowledge of junctioning was limited to himself, he tore off his blue-black blazer and ran up to Squall, shaking his shoulders as well as holding him down. "Squall! Listen to me! Calm down! SQUALL!"
Suddenly, audible clicks were heard, and Squall slumped forward into Zell's arms. He seemed to have fainted from exhaustion, and Zell looked around confused as to what happened. Ms. Glynn stepped forward from behind a few SeeDs and gripped Zell's shoulder with a firm hand.
"Dincht, take your partner Leonhart back to his room. He'll be fine when he wakes up. Just make sure he doesn't go to the infirmary."
"Ms. Glynn! How did you.." Zell cradled Squall's unconscious form in his arms, and looked up at her.
"I cast sleep on him. You should pay attention to the lectures. I give you graduates extra training for a reason, you know." Her voice was soft and consoling, yet scolding.
Quistis appeared from behind Ms. Glynn and fell onto her knees beside Zell.
"He'll be okay," Quistis held out a black gloved hand and traced Squall's face with her fingers, sighing in relief. "Let him have some rest, and hopefully when he wakes up he'll come to his senses. Cast him a full-heal later, too." She was glad that Squall merely looked asleep, unlike Seifer who was barely hanging onto life by a thread. The older sister instincts in her stirred, and she went over to check on Seifer as well.
But Zell didn't quite hear her. He just looked down at Squall, seeing how he was utterly useless when his best friend went berserk. Nodding up at Quistis, he glanced over at Rinoa, who was sobbing over the barely conscious Seifer and telling him to hang on. The younger blonde was angry, if she hadn't cheat on Squall, none of this would have happened! Then again, if Zell had had the courage to tell Squall about Seifer's plan earlier on, none of this would have happened. It was his fault as well, and hot tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm sorry..." he bit his lip, apologizing softly to the boy in his arms.
"No.. No.. NO! Open your eyes! Seifer!!" Rinoa was hysterical.
"Send Almasy to the infirmary stat, somebody alert Kadowski about the situation. Code red, do you hear me? STAT!" Ms. Glynn ordered the SeeDs left around, who scattered in all places, some helped pick up Seifer, in the process peeling Rinoa away from him. Selphie tugged Irvine's arm helplessly, and the two went back to the stage to pick up their instruments and head back to quarters. Zell got up and carried Squall into his arms towards the main doors, his hanging head gazing sullenly at his leader. The evening was completely ruined, and it was partially his fault. Zell knew Squall was going to be outraged when he woke up, but he had to deal with it. He had to be there for him.